stratta kitchen

Restaurant of the Week: Stratta Kitchen

Scottsdale’s newest fast-casual concept has come from an unexpected place: the illustrious Alex Stratta. The James Beard Award-winning chef has teamed up with Genuine Concepts to bring Stratta Kitchen to North Scottsdale.

In 1998, Alex Stratta was a young chef at The Phoenician’s fine dining fortress, Mary Elaine’s, with a James Beard Best Chef: Southwest under his belt. He went on to earn a prestigious two Michelin stars for his eponymous eatery in Las Vegas. Since then, Stratta has been pulled toward a whole-food, Mediterranean approach to cooking and eating, in much part due to his own health journey, which included overcoming colon cancer and losing 100 pounds. Now, he has set out to share his love for high-quality, natural foods with the masses at the highly accessible, quick-service Stratta Kitchen.

Open and airy, filled with bold art and beautiful wood tones, North Scottsdale’s Stratta Kitchen features an ever-changing menu that comprises To Share or Not to Share (appetizers), Greens, Grains, The Goods (proteins) and Sweets. The dishes are paired with a variety of house-made specialty sauces, and a solid list of wine, beer, margaritas and unique fresh fruit juices.

Cali Coast

To start, the Sicilian Caponata is tangy and bold with San Marzano tomatoes, roasted eggplant, charred onion, capers, pine nuts, currants and olives. A surefire option to wake up the taste buds. The whipped ricotta cheese with walnut romesco would be just as delicious as a dessert, with orange blossom honey and pomegranate crunch, creating a balance of earthy and sweet. Both appetizers are served with slices of Noble Bread.

The Cali Coast quinoa bowl offers a medley of flavor and texture, thanks to the sweet Medjool dates and Garnett yams paired with crispy rainbow cauliflower and creamy avocado. To top it off, a welcome crunch of Marcona almonds. (Pair Cali Coast with the vibrant Green Goddess sauce.) “The Goods” denote the a la carte proteins, and this bowl was the perfect complement for the hearty turkey sausage.

Beets & Apples

As beautiful as it is tasty, the Beets & Apples salad is a gorgeous plating of golden and red beets, arugula, caramelized and freeze-dried apples, pistachio and purple yams. A goat cheese cracker is the crown on top. (Pair Beets & Apples with Elderberry Balsamic and Alaskan Sterling salmon.)

Since most of the meal is guilt-free goodness, why not take a walk on the wild side for dessert? The Double Trouble Chocolate cake makes a rich and picture-perfect way to end a Stratta Kitchen spread.

Stratta Kitchen is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

To learn more about Stratta Kitchen, visit www.strattakitchen.com.

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